


Room of Requirement

by McHiddles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts, Room of Requirement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 11:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16117238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McHiddles/pseuds/McHiddles
Summary: Just a short little story about stress. There's a lot happening in this day and age, and I wanted to write something that might provide a little comfort in someone's hectic life. I suppose this is just my way of reminding everyone to breathe every now and then, myself included.Quick Disclaimer: There is some description of depression, negative thoughts, and panic attacks. I don't mean this to be triggering in any way, so I wanted to mention it just in case. Furthermore, this character's experience is not meant to generalize anyone else's experiences with these situations, it's just one way of handling it. Everyone is unique, and I just wanted to express my own thoughts and feelings- I have no intention of invalidating anyone else's.Anyway, hope you enjoy it, and maybe find a little bit of peace. :)(Written with this headcanon in mind: https://pics.me.me/actualweeb-headcanon-like-salazar-slytherin-each-founder-had-a-hidden-9452773.png)





	Room of Requirement

Calena burst through the double doors and raced down the mostly empty hall of Hogwarts, her heart racing and her breath quick. She was running from her most feared opponent- the shadow that had dogged her for all of her life. After entering Hogwarts, she’d thought she would finally be free of it. After all, Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. But not from this monster.

Not from depression.

Her feet pounded against the stone as she followed every twist and turn of the hallways, desperately hoping she might escape the mounting panic attack. It had come out of nowhere, but then again, they always did. A new assignment in Charms class, Duelling Club in just a few hours, only half an hour for dinner before she had to race back to her dormitory and speed-clean in time for the weekly house check. She immediately tamped down the flutter in her heart at the thought of her prefect. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She could practically see those forest green eyes frown in disgust at her constant disarray, her messy existence, her feelings. She could feel the grip of her panic attack bubble up into her throat, threatening to choke her. She tried to run faster, but she ended up collapsing against a large stone wall.

She couldn’t help but feel stupid for this silly outburst. Here she was, at the greatest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, having a fit. She had friends, she had good grades, she had a family who loved her. Certainly, she had had her struggles in the past, everyone did, but freaking out over something as simple as having too much to do? How weak.

Calena’s thoughts brought tears to her eyes, and she felt the last vestiges of her resolve falter. Thank Merlin no one was there to witness her fall to pieces- she only wished she could be less out in the open should some unfortunate soul walk by and see her break down. She leaned back to relinquish control over her battling emotions, when she suddenly fell through the wall.

No, not a wall- a door.

Calena sat up and examined the hallway before her, realizing that she was seeing it from inside the wall itself. She glanced around the hidden alcove and gasped at the sight.

If the room could be described in one word, it would be comfort. The walls were draped in beautiful murals- nothing monumental- just quiet scenes of life around Hogwarts: students playing Gobstones in the courtyard, a scene of Hagrid’s hut with a curl of smoke rising from the chimney, the giant squid poking out of the lake to look around. One side of the wall was made entirely of glass, and overlooked the castle and the grounds beyond. The sun was just beginning to set, and Calena could watch the scene unfold just before her eyes. She stood and closed the door, turning her back on the hallway and moving further into the room. She noticed that the carpet was plush, almost like soft sand at a beach. She took off her shoes and watched as her feet sunk into the cool material, its texture massaging her feet with every step.

As a whole, the room was simple- the only furniture it held was a large cushy armchair and a side table with a small wooden object on top. She sat in the chair and sighed. It felt as if she was being hugged by someone who loved her more than anything else in the world. She thought of her family, her best friends, her cat. She sunk further into the seat and smiled.

Her panic had been dwindling since she tumbled into the room, until she opened her eyes to investigate the object on the side table.

It was a clock.

Immediately, all her feelings of calm and comfort evaporated. What was she doing? There’s no time for this, who is she to take a break and relax?

 _I’ll sleep when I’m dead._ She thought to herself bitterly.

Calena was about to rise from the seat when she gave a final long look at the clock, and noticed something strange.

It wasn’t ticking.

In fact, it seemed to be entirely frozen. She paused.

Reaching for her wand, Calena whispered “Tempus reparo” and looked pointedly at the clock face. Still, the hands remained still. It occurred to her that she also had a watch, and she turned to examine the hands. It, too, was frozen.

In that moment, the answer began to dawn on her. Calena knew she was in the Room of Requirement the moment she fell through the door, but one doesn’t always know what they require most in any given moment. Especially in their worst moments. In this case, she needed comfort and time: time to be comfortable, time to feel safe.

Time to breathe.

 

Calena let out a long-held sigh and fell back onto the chair. As long as she’s here, she has time. The worry, fear, and anxiety bubbling beneath the surface gently evaporated. Calena relaxed into the cushions’ embrace, pressed her feet into the sandy floor, and looked out the window.

Just in time for the sunset.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome to my second story on this site, and thanks for stopping by :) Hopefully this story brought you a little peace of mind, but if not, here's a link to a gif of Calming Cat: https://i.imgur.com/CYU8JsN.gif
> 
> Fun fact: I wasn't sure how one would go about magically repairing a clock, and did a little bit of research on "Oculus reparo" to figure it out. Turns out, "oculus" doesn't mean spectacles, it actually means eye, so Hermione was technically repairing Harry's eye (#ambitious). In keeping with this intriguing discovery, I used "Tempus reparo" (fix time) instead of "Horologium reparo" (fix clock). Hope that doesn't bother too many Latin fans. <3
> 
> Anyway, when I was first writing this I accidentally turned it into second person right at the end, so if anyone would like that version it would really take me no time at all to edit and publish that as well. Just let me know!


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